![[The Riddler] THE RIDDLER
Given the choice between Edward Nigma’s two comic book costumes (Re: original green tights costume VS green business suit with derby), my vote goes to the tights.
To me, this is when the nefarious Edward Nigma truly becomes The Riddler
When I initially conceived of this Legends of Gotham City Collection of custom action figures, I honestly expected The Riddler to be one of the easier figures of the series to create. I saw him consisting primarily of a simple head swap and maybe a re-paint of an already existing figure. However, in the end, he proved to be a far more complex character than I had expected… in some respects, even forcing me to employ all new customizing techniques that I had never attempted before.
I have always seen this character as wiry in his build… not at all brawny or muscular (as some artists have occasionally depicted him). Also, while not being as short as, say, The Penguin, he is, nevertheless, below-average in height.](userimages/customs/33500/33236-1.jpg) The Riddler Batmanby darklord1967THE RIDDLER
Given the choice between Edward Nigma’s two comic book costumes (Re: original green tights costume VS green business suit with der...14 comments | ![[The Joker] [b]THE JOKER[/b]
Thanks to the kind folks at DC Direct, and Mattel, the addition of a 6-inch scale JOKER Action Figure to my collection was reasonably easy and painless.
The [b]Mattel DC Universe Classics Joker[/b] figure (body) was an outstandingly sculpted and very well articulated rendition of the character’s classic purple tuxedo appearance. I saw very little room for improvement there.
My only gripe was the giddy-looking face sculpt.
But as luck would have it, our good friends at DC Direct came to my rescue with the release of the [b]Arkham Asylum Joker[/b] action figure. It was, hands down, my absolute favorite head sculpt of the character in this scale. Since the sculpt was rendered to match The Joker’s Arkham Asylum video game appearance, (with a heavily receding hairline and bald temples), some re-sculpting was going to be necessary to bring him back to his classic comic book look.
I filled in the balding upper forehead areas of the head with white squ](userimages/customs/32500/32428-1.jpg) The Joker Batmanby darklord1967[b]THE JOKER[/b]
Thanks to the kind folks at DC Direct, and Mattel, the addition of a 6-inch scale JOKER Action Figure to my collection was reasonabl...19 comments |
![[Catwoman] [b]CATWOMAN[/b]
The Catwoman’s comic book outfit which appealed to me most was her skin-tight purple cat-suit with thigh-high black boots and arm-length clawed gloves (from her late 1980’s-late 1990’s comic book appearances).
This costume has been represented a number of times as an action figure. So I had very high hopes of avoiding the lengthy creation of a custom figure for my “Legends of Gotham City” Collection.
No such luck…
The DC Direct Batman: Long Halloween Catwoman Action Figure was based on comic book artist Tim Sale’s artwork from the “Long Halloween” storyline. Unfortunately, is artwork was not my cup of tea. However, I did recognize pretty quickly that it was mainly this action figure’s head sculpt, wrist bracelets, and color scheme that made it [i]artwork-specific[/i] to Sale’s “Long Halloween” book. With an appropriate head swap, anatomical alteration, and careful paint work, this fi](userimages/customs/32500/32170-1.jpg) Catwoman Batmanby darklord1967[b]CATWOMAN[/b]
The Catwoman’s comic book outfit which appealed to me most was her skin-tight purple cat-suit with thigh-high black boots and a...16 comments | ![[The Penguin] THE PENGUIN
A nice, clean 6 inch scale action figure of Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot (aka THE PENGUIN) was going to be a MUST for my “Legends Of Gotham City” Collection.
I will state from the start that I am NOT a fan of the post-Tim Burton concept of The Penguin. My preference definitely leaned toward the classic Golden / Silver/ Bronze Age comic book version of this character.
In the end, a figure that I would consider suitable for my collection required a serious amount of customizing effort on my part. From the configuration of a proper anatomy, to the scratch building of accessories, The Penguin was certainly one of the more complex and challenging custom action figures of this series.
As a base figure for my custom, I started by using the DC Direct Penguin action figure (available in the Silver Age Penguin & Catwoman Deluxe Set). But right from the start, the very limited articulation, excessively rotund proportions, and off-balance posture of The Penguin](userimages/customs/32000/31972-1.jpg) The Penguin Batmanby darklord1967THE PENGUIN
A nice, clean 6 inch scale action figure of Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot (aka THE PENGUIN) was going to be a MUST for my “Legends ...13 comments |
![[The Penguin] THE PENGUIN
A nice, clean 6 inch scale action figure of Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot (aka THE PENGUIN) was going to be a MUST for my “Legends Of Gotham City” Collection.
I will state from the start that I am NOT a fan of the post-Tim Burton concept of The Penguin. My preference definitely leaned toward the classic Silver Age version of this character.
In the end, a figure that I would consider suitable for my collection required a serious amount of customizing effort on my part. From the configuration of a proper anatomy, to the scratch building of accessories, The Penguin was certainly one of the more complex and challenging custom action figures of this series.
As a base figure for my custom, I decided to use the DC Direct Penguin action figure (available in the Silver Age Penguin & Catwoman Deluxe Set). But right from the start, the very limited articulation, excessively rotund proportions, and off-balance posture of The Penguin were a big disappointment. The](userimages/customs/32000/31967-1.jpg) The Penguin Batmanby darklord1967THE PENGUIN
A nice, clean 6 inch scale action figure of Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot (aka THE PENGUIN) was going to be a MUST for my “Legends ...5 comments | ![[Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight] Similar to my Farmboy Luke Skywalker custom figure, this Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight custom action figure was my attempt to correct some awkward anatomical proportion issues with Hasbro's previous Jedi Luke / Jabba's Palace Luke offerings.
I was also not particularly fond of the morose-looking Jedi Luke face sculpts produced by Hasbro, nor the poofy soft-goods hooded cloaks.
After the surgery to correct Luke's awkward body, and after the head replacement with my favorite Luke sculpt (POTJ 25th Anniversary "Swing To Freedom" Luke), A tailored Darth Maul soft goods hooded robe was added for the final touch.
"You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookie to me."](userimages/customs/31500/31186-1.jpg) Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight Star Warsby darklord1967Similar to my Farmboy Luke Skywalker custom figure, this Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight custom action figure was my attempt to correct some awkward anato...2 comments |
![[Luke Skywalker: Tatooine Farmboy] In the STAR WARS collecting community, there is probably no action figure character that is as heavily contested and controversial as Farmboy Luke Skywalker. Hasbro has tried their hand at this character several times over the years. But some collectors feel that the likenesses are not quite right. Others prefer to see him with a soft-good robe and not sculpted. Yet others feel that his body has always been rendered anatomically awkward.
I suppose to one degree or other, I fall into each of those categories of dis-satisfaction... at least a little bit.
Now with my custom, I addressed each of those issues (and several others) as I worked toward creating an accessory-heavy "Ultimate" Farmboy Luke.
At first, this figure was all about correcting Hasbro's awkward anatomy with virtually ALL of their production Farmboy Lukes. Many suffered from legs that were anatomically too short and stubby. The hip "side" articulation (which was introduced during the Vintage Ori](userimages/customs/31500/31185-1.jpg) Luke Skywalker: Tatooine Farmboy Star Warsby darklord1967In the STAR WARS collecting community, there is probably no action figure character that is as heavily contested and controversial as Farmboy Luke Sky...6 comments | ![[Yoda: the Jedi Master] NONE of the previously produced Yoda action figures incorporated ALL of the characteristics that I wanted to see within ONE single figure.
Maybe I'm just crazy, but it seems to me like ALL of the recent Yodas produced by Hasbro have VERY strangely sculpted HEADS (which are far too small), and do NOT resemble the character at all. They also feature really badly painted EYES that make our beloved Yoda seem like he's been hitin' the sauce a bit too much. The EYES of this character are SO important!!! They impart all the wisdom and age that he stands for. Also, a LARGE noggin is what makes him seem more elf-like and cerebral. These recent pin-headed Yodas just ain't cuttin' it !!
I simply wanted a clean, elegant, custom Yoda Action Figure with a working pair of LEGS, an accurately-sculpted, dignified face sculpt (in the correct proportional size), rooted hair, necklace and belt accessories, and cloth robes.
I used the Hasbro 1999 "Flashback" Yoda head sculpt (drilled out f](userimages/customs/31500/31157-1.jpg) Yoda: the Jedi Master Star Warsby darklord1967NONE of the previously produced Yoda action figures incorporated ALL of the characteristics that I wanted to see within ONE single figure.
Maybe I'm ...6 comments |
![[Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: Jedi Knight] In 2004 Hasbro gave us a Ben Kenobi figure that seemed to be dying of starvation, as part of their Vintage Original Trilogy Collection line.
I was so disappointed that I immediately made my own custom action figure in response.
The most recent "old Ben" figure is loosely based on that same anorexic VOTC figure from 2004, but with some added articulation, and poofy, badly tailored soft goods robes. No thanks.
I continue to believe that the Power of the Jedi Ben Kenobi figure from 2001 still has the best head sculpt (likeness, cleanliness of casting, and paint deco), and it has not been improved upon at all. Plus, I will always RESIST the continued scale SHRINKAGE of the action figures of my main STAR WARS characters (the way Hasbro has been steadily doing). For me, they must remain in scale with one another (based off of Power of the Jedi). This means quite a few customizations, I'm afraid.
For my Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi (Episode IV), I wanted a clean, elegant, richly](userimages/customs/31500/31156-1.jpg) Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: Jedi Knight Star Warsby darklord1967In 2004 Hasbro gave us a Ben Kenobi figure that seemed to be dying of starvation, as part of their Vintage Original Trilogy Collection line.
I was ...6 comments | ![[Emperor Palpatine] This is one of my older custom action figures (created back in 2004). I wanted to create an Emperor Palpatine that was SA and could sit down on his Death Star II Throne chair. This was done at a time when the best Hasbro had offered us was a "salt-shaker" Emperor with working arms and head, but a solid body.
The most recent Emperor action figures from Hasbro are produced with soft goods robes that are far too poofy, and ruin the look of the character. Also, the face sculpts tend to reflect more of Palpatine's prequel appearance (scowling and jeering), rather than his deceptively weak old man appearance from RETURN OF THE JEDI...](userimages/customs/31500/31100-1.jpg) Emperor Palpatine Star Warsby darklord1967This is one of my older custom action figures (created back in 2004). I wanted to create an Emperor Palpatine that was SA and could sit down on his...3 comments |
![[Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith] This is one of my relatively older custom action figures (created in 2004) The goal here was to create a richly-detailed 4 inch-scale action figure of Anakin Skywalker as the powerful fallen Jedi Knight that he ultimately became. The first thing I decided was that ALL of his robes and cape were to be made of soft goods. Also, I wanted this custom action figure to be able to unmask with the correct THREE stages of head gear (rather than Hasbro’s typical two at the time.) Most importantly, I wanted a custom action figure that just looked elegant and STATELY when standing neutrally at ease. As always, custom Vader had to be correctly scaled in relation to the rest of the STAR WARS action figures in my collection (including other Customs).
“If you only knew the power of the Dark Side!”](userimages/customs/31500/31087-1.jpg) Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith Star Warsby darklord1967This is one of my relatively older custom action figures (created in 2004) The goal here was to create a richly-detailed 4 inch-scale action figure o...8 comments | ![[Caped Crusaders] My goal here was to create a "Classic Dynamic Duo" that reflected the darker tone of the comics, and accurately displayed the physical difference between man and BOY wonder.
To accomplish this goal I used the (shorter) 6 inch "boy" action figure body from MEGO's 1976 Our Gang Collection as the basis to create ROBIN The Boy Wonder. "Alfalfa" was used (for the main body) as was "Mickey" (for the head sculpt). I re-sculpted the Mickey head with a new Richard Grayson" hair style, and a boyish smirk, and then made a 5% smaller final casting with these new sculpted changes. With the exception of the green shorts and t-shirt sleeves (which were both borrowed and tailored from Mego’s original Robin action figure), ALL of the costume items had to be created from scratch. The biggest challenge was fashioning Robin’s gauntlets (bye-bye vinyl oven mitts!!! ) and "pixie" boots out of lime green fabric. Holy fashion statement!!!!](userimages/customs/7000/6670-1.jpg) Caped Crusaders Megoby darklord1967My goal here was to create a "Classic Dynamic Duo" that reflected the darker tone of the comics, and accurately displayed the physical diffe...1 comments |
![[Police Commissioner James Gordon] Next up is my custom MEGO 8 inch action figure of Gotham City’s POLICE COMMISSIONER GORDON!
The Commissioner is pictured here during a particularly dangerous night in Gotham City as he summons the Caped Crusaders with the famed Bat-Signal (toy prop created by DC Direct Products)!
This custom COMMISSIONER GORDON action figure was a lot of fun, but very difficult to create. I developed his head sculpt from an existing MEGO sculpt which I re-worked and repainted extensively with a large mustache added. I also went through a VERY difficult time creating those tiny eye glasses (with lenses included!) and incorporating them seamlessly into Gordons hairline. Legendary MEGO customizer Charlee Flatt helped me out by providing Gordon's custom-made basic black business suit, a white shirt, a pair of black sox, and a tan rain-overcoat. I made a belt for his trousers easily enough, but I had a REALLY difficult time creating that silk neck-tie of his that I had to knot (windsor-style) with](userimages/customs/7000/6669-1.jpg) Police Commissioner James Gordon "V"by darklord1967Next up is my custom MEGO 8 inch action figure of Gotham City’s POLICE COMMISSIONER GORDON!
The Commissioner is pictured here during a particu...0 comments | ![[Wayne Manor Collection] There are currently plans on my work bench for a WAYNE MANOR COLLECTION of custom MEGO action figures of Bruce Wayne , (young) Richard Grayson, and Alfred Pennyworth.
For now, these are the custom boxes that I designed...](userimages/customs/7000/6667-1.jpg) Wayne Manor Collection Megoby darklord1967There are currently plans on my work bench for a WAYNE MANOR COLLECTION of custom MEGO action figures of Bruce Wayne , (young) Richard Grayson, and Al...0 comments |
![[The Penguin] “Rounding out” this rouge's gallery of Bat-villains is my customized action figure rendition of the nefarious Oswald Cobblepot!
MEGO'S original action figure version of THE PENGUIN required a complete and total make-over.
This figure has customized shorter and thicker legs to give him a 7 inch tall body height (to actually make him SHORTER than the other 8 inch tall characters). He has an all-new (more sinister) head sculpt with a removable top hat and monocle with lens (not molded onto the head sculpt like MEGO's original.) THE PENGUIN now wears brand new custom-made SEPARATE clothing garments: white shirt, silk bow-tie, silk orange cumberbundt, purple dress pants, sox, white spats on top of wing-tip shoes, buttons (unlike MEGO's original silk-screen printed leotard).
My customized PENGUIN action figure also wears white silk dress gloves with cuffs (instead of MEGO's simple "white hands"), and he has custom-made cigarette-holder and umbrella accessories (whi](userimages/customs/7000/6666-1.jpg) The Penguin Megoby darklord1967“Rounding out” this rouge's gallery of Bat-villains is my customized action figure rendition of the nefarious Oswald Cobblepot!
MEGO'S or...0 comments | ![[Batgirl and Catwoman] No Photos yet of my two MEGO custom action figure LADIES in Batman's life. I'm putting the final touches on them now.
But here now are both of their custom window box designs.
BATGIRL and CATWOMAN](userimages/customs/7000/6665-1.jpg) Batgirl and Catwoman Megoby darklord1967No Photos yet of my two MEGO custom action figure LADIES in Batman's life. I'm putting the final touches on them now.
But here now are both of their ...0 comments |
![[The Riddler] A Custom MEGO Bat-Project would NOT be complete without THE RIDDLER
I've always had a preference for the prince of puzzlers' classic unitard outfit, so that's the version of the characrter that I've created (just as MEGO originally did).
This customization is still in progress, so some of the details in the photo below are created via photoshop (Re:purple gauntlets). The plan here is to provide much tighter, snugger fitting lycra-spandex tights with vinyl question mark transfers all over his uniform. The Riddler will have a brand-new custom head sculpt, a removable face mask, custom cloth gauntlets and a new larger waist band belt.
His custom-designed MEGO-styled window box has already been created.
Custom Action Figure and photo by Roberto Williams.](userimages/customs/7000/6664-1.jpg) The Riddler Megoby darklord1967A Custom MEGO Bat-Project would NOT be complete without THE RIDDLER
I've always had a preference for the prince of puzzlers' classic unitard outfit, ...1 comments | ![[The Joker] I found substantial room for improvement over Mego's original 8 Inch action figure version of THE JOKER...
First off, I gave his face a bit of a make-over with a slightly more detailed paint scheme. I eliminated the silk-screened leotard that Mego provided and fashioned all-new SEPARATE garments (custom silk green shirt, flaming orange flannel vest, baggy "pleated" purple pants with fat black pinstripes and tall waistband. As for his zany purple blazer, I only added a wild orange satin lining to the tails to spruce them up. At this point, I added the decorative details to the figure like buttons, floppy black tie, bright red lapel flower, a pair of purple dress sox and, a pair of white spats draped over his standard brown Mego shoes. He also wears a dandy pair of CLOTH white dress gloves, which unfortunately did not photograph as well as I’d hoped…
I created a custom Mego-styled window box on computer for THE JOKER to sleep in and called him finished!
Custom A](userimages/customs/7000/6663-1.jpg) The Joker Megoby darklord1967I found substantial room for improvement over Mego's original 8 Inch action figure version of THE JOKER...
First off, I gave his face a bit of a make...0 comments |
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